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Morning All... Eileen... Wow... You really have had a plate full of family scares! I'm so sorry about your neice and I pray that they will decide to go ahead with her surgery sooner if for no other reason than to spare her more pain. In regards to th thyroid... they are trying to kill it off... the radioactive iodin is only absorbed by the thyroid gland and I will have to take thyroid hormone replacement for the rest of my life. THe pros... no surgery and the risks that go along with that... the cons... it is a more gradual process than surgery and I will have to be careful the first few days so that I don't kill anyone elses thyroid...lol. The nice thing will be losing that feeling of fullness/choking in my throat. Betty... I wish I did live closer to you... I think we should all pick a town and relocate there...lol. Don't worry... I am not in the mood to have a doctor cut my throat...bring on the glowing pill! Congrats on the raise! Sherry... Glad you had fun at the fair! It's amazing to see the difference in what can be shoved sown the ole gullet once you have restriction isn't it! Not sure when they will give me the trtmt... they are to call me on Monday and set it up. Cindy... Hope to see your friend here posting soon... the more the merrier! SOunds like you will busy this weekend! I colored my hair a week or so ago... got tired of the highlighted look...guess I'm ready for winter! Dianne... Hope Lucy is feeling better and LMAO on the Mushroom Head comment... hehehehehe... I wonder if they teach them to do that in beauty school???? MAybe is is because they practice on too many lil blue haired women in beauty school? Mary...Glad you are feeling better... I hope your weight gain is just due to all of the muscle being bulit from the increased exercise! I feel your frustration girl! KAt... You go girl... you are really kicking butt! I know how good it feels to really be exercising regularly! I don't know why I fight it so hard when I feel so much better doing it! I'm proud of you! Boy... you are going to have an awful lot of B-day cake to resist this month! Pat... I think you look beautiful in the picture for operation smile... so there. The wine doesn't look half bad either...hehehehe. Okay... I went to POGO... I'm not a big game player but it has been fun. My name there is DarceeLynnPlyr. Mandy... I'm sorry about your puppy... sounds like this may be why he was at the shelter. Hopefully he will stay safe and be picked up eventually! I may need to get that website addy from you... I'd love to pick some little things up for Christmas presents! Patty... Heck girl... I'm off the wagon more than I'm on. I wish it were different and I know that the band is really working for all that post to this thread... but sometimes it is hard to be the lone failure...lol. THe one good thing is that you can see that the Lapband does work for the majority of people. Hoping that all the legal efforts will make the difference for you finally getting your Band! Anne... crossing my fingers that the scale will pop up with a brand spanking new LOWER number for ya! If I missed anyone... forgive... hope the rest of the weekend is great for everyone!

Oh boy I could write a book on this!!! They need to know if you stop breathing when you sleep, if you do going under is dangerous. So if you have sleep apnea (which I do) and you stop breathing, they put you on the machine and pump the air in for you. My number is 7...omg blows my bangs back. Sleep apnea can cause weight gain, swollen ankles (got that) and you really don't get the sleep you need! I love my mask, I have been on it for a month now...I can run up two flights of stairs now without getting out of breath..couldn't do that before!! Oh yeah and my doc wouldn't do the surgery if I refused the testing, and I have to be on the cpap mask for 2 weeks..so I am good on that. I read of a woman who had the surgery (check the memorials on ObesityHelp.com) she had her bariatric surgery --they didn't know she had sleep apnea, she stopped breathing and they didn't know---she passed away. What a shocker! Under anesthesia, you are totally relaxed -that is how they put you to sleep--so your unable to breath again as easy as non-sleep-apnea people. On the flip side, Sleep Apnea is a co-morbidity...so you should be approved for sure!! My kids call me Scuba Steve when they see me in the mask..its not a whole mask..just a little thing that goes into my nostrils...no biggie really! Take care, and best wishes to you!!

I also agree with all the above posts. I have a similar relationship with my mother. Appearance is everything to her. I started gaining weight about 8 years ago and along with my body shape my relationship with her also changed. First she became VERY embarressed of my weight and would make excuses to people about my appearance (She has PCOS you know....was her usual way of introducing me to people). Then she became very judgemental of me, not just my weight gain but every aspect of my life (my career choice, my parenting skills, etc). Next came hostility......."why don't you just DO something about your size???" or "You're not wearing THAT are you???" In the last couple of years it's become pity....she would give me these sad looks like I was dying or something and make comments like "you must be so tired all the time" or "don't clean the whole house you might have a heart attack or something...just do one room each day". So when I finally decided to have my WLS I spoke at lenghth to my husband and the psychologist about whether I should tell her. My husband said a definite NO!......he believed she would definitely judge me on my choice. The psychologist also pointed out that these type of people (with very over enflated egos and views) often have big reactions to things they don't understand or disapprove of and that I must decide if it was "worth the trouble".....she was also concerned that my mother would also try to "sabotage" my weight loss efforts. In the end I decided it was NOT worth the drama. I saw my mother 3 days ago and she actually seemed a little "hostile" and critical about my recent weightloss. My brother was at my parents house and when I walked in the door he said "Wow look at you ...you've lost alot of weight....lookin good!" My mother just looked me up and down, sighed and said "but she's got a LONG way to go to look normal again". Need I say anymore!

i weigh myself before and after going to the bathroom, before and after I eat and dressed and undressed. I've bought more scales that most people own in a lifetime. Sometimes I even take the scale on vacation with me. No scale = eating out of control and big weight gain. This of course will change once I am banded in 8 DAYS. :hail: :funscale:

Aside from the time when I wanted to get pregnant, I've been on birth control since 16. I haven't noticed any weight gain. I love having a regular cycle and shorter periods. Yay!!! Do what you need to do. If you do experience some weight gain, I'm sure it will be minimal.

When I went on BCP I didn't experience weight gain (it's the only thing I ever put in my mouth that didn't make me gain weight!). The only side effect I noticed was cramping. For the first 3 months I was taking it, I had constant, mild cramps - just like menstrual cramps, only mild enough that I could ignore them. As I gained weight I had to stop taking the BCP, and all other hormone-based forms of birth control. I'm hoping I can get back on them soon. Even if you have a slight weight gain, IMO it would be so worth doing what you could to try and treat the cyst externally.

Ultimately the choice is yours! I was not candidate for RNY- My dh had RNY has had NO complications, NO dumping, Can eat anything he wants, could get by on sub lingual b12 he prefers the shot. In the event of starvation or huge complications his could be reversed since his stomach is still there just not his main route. YES it is a bigger surgery and Yes the recovery is longer but MOST people do fine. The surgeons prefer the bypass since lots of patients are non-compliant as is true in most of life. The bypass does not require the amount of dedication that the band does, it is more forgiving to weight gain for bad food choices because of the malabsorption. This is a lapband support board and most here will be in favor of lapband, if you go to obesityhelp.com most will be in support of bypass. WLS is a VERY PERSONAL decision not to be entered into lightly by anyone for any of the procedures! ALL have successors and people who do not succeed!! GOOD LUCK in what ever YOU decide and remember the decision is YOURS!!

these side effects are minor compared to the major side effects of the GB in my opinion, I was not willing to have Dumping or to have my intestines rerouted or malabsorption issues my entire life. I'll take golfball or pbing any day of the week, not to mention with the GB there is the risk of pouch stretching two years out, then weight gain starts again, withthe band it isalways adjustable, no dumping, no rerouting of my intestines, no dumping. yes it may be a slower weight loss then the GB but to me in the long run it is worth it, plus the slower I lose the less flabby I will be. My DH said NO to the GB also

Ashlee - glad to hear things went well for you. I have one more hurdle. I have polycystic ovaries, and have to go see the gynecologist tomorrow. Since PCOS can cause weight gain, they want to make certain they're under control. Not sure what they can do, but I told him I'd go see one. I've been working on the high protein, low cal diet already - wow am I hungry! How strange will it be to eat a few bites of cottage cheese and actually be full!

GM Betty, I so love soup, it has become my favorite food, beside my new found love, tiramisu, LOL. I ate beef barley yesterday, it was ooooh so good. No it wasn't home made, LMAO. It's hard t believe it's been five years since 9/11, I watched the Diane Sawyer special the other night, with all the babies, now 5, I boohooed, it was so sad. I did notice they didn't have the woman that was sort of the spokesperson whose husband led the group and over took the terrorist in the Pa flight. Yikes, can't remember either name, but I often think of her and wonder what happened to her and her boys. (Was his name Todd?) Such a tragedy all the way around. The special on CBS last night had to be difficult for all of these families to watch. Kat, if your SIL gets a fill, you need to call her doctor and tell him/her what she's doing. I had to do that with my mom, although, even though she was my mom, they reminded me of the privacy act, which I assured them I did not want info, I was just advising them of facts they didn't realize, like she'd been pb'n for over a month and couldn't keep anything down. They took it from there. Diane, take care of the throat, don't over do it even if ya think it's all well. Patty, I love my pedicures and just put my fake nails back on, after a summer of playing in the dirt...plants. Darcy, I know it doesn't help you, but the fact you've shared your weight gain has made us realize it could so easily happen to us. Big Hugs GF! Is the fill helping? I have the dmdst band, so fickle, especially, if I haven't eaten all day, I guess I eat too fast, but then it's spit, spit, and more spit. I have never agreed with the "PB" factor, "spit" should be added as something NOT to look forward to as well. Nothing prettier than seeing a Gma get out of her car or lean out the door to spit, LMAO. Hugs everyone! We're missing a lot of our friends, Ann, Cindy, Mary, Donna, Ira, Ivan, just to name a few.

shaunaruder: If your doctor had you on a liquid pre-op diet in addition to the liquids/mushies stage post-op, the weight gain has a lot to do with you coming out of what is, for all intents and purposes, a starvation period. I know that I gained about 5-8 lbs once I went to solids, and that's totally okay. It's easy to get malnourished during the liquid stages...your body is probably just holding on to the food for dear life after the shock you gave it! I can't tell you when you'll get just the right restriction...for me, it took 3 fills before I really felt anything significant. But the fills *do* make a HUGE difference in the way we eat. Don't be discouraged...you're doing just fine!

"I'm hoping that this band will give me a little more control than that." Yes, your band with proper fill will help the hunger but you will always have to maintain a certain level of self control. Now the trick is...was the food you ate healthy? If so, then don't worry about it. If not, then you may need to step back and make sure you get yourself going in the right direction. Don't worry about the weight gain. This happens to almost all of us from the switch-over to regular food. It will settle down within the next week or so. And don't let yourself get discouraged. So, go ahead and eat, stop when you're satisfied, and make sure it's food you're proud of--if you do this you'll be just fine!

Hi Lucky, I don't think that the surgeon in question had any confidence problems or felt he couldn't take on a slip. He made it clear that he thought I would be a problem patient just because I actually had an opinion based on fact and discussion with other competent medical professionals.He expected me to just take the abuse he doled out at me about the "firing" without any confrontation. There was never a conversation here. That requires two people to listen and he wasn't listening. He took advantage of my moment of weakness. I was scared, feeling really low about the weight gain and band problems and then he dumped me based on the fact that I had an opinion that contradicted his. I am not that strong. I cannot live on liquids for several months without some kind of appetitie suppresant. I have an empty band and the hunger is raging. If he did not want me to take a suppressant, he should have done something about it when I called a month ago and asked him about it. I was not offered the possibility of compromise. Its possible he had a bad experience with someone else that he felt compelled to dump in my lap. Anyway, time to move on. Why can't a reasonably intelligent business woman find a doc who will actually listen??? I have had problems with my band that are documented as early as December 2004. Babs in TX

NUSA DUA, Indonesia (Reuters) - New research indicates that an extract from the Korean pine nut could be effective in treating obesity by suppressing the appetite, an expert on obesity said on Friday. "We have a lot of new drugs that are in the pipeline and this is very encouraging," said Denise E. Bruner, an obesity expert from the United States. She said U.S. research showed that pinolenic acid extracted from Korean pine nut could dampen the appetite. "They looked at a group of women who had pine nut versus a group who didn't and they saw there's weight loss and they felt full longer," Bruner told Reuters on the sidelines of an anti-ageing conference in the resort island of Bali. The levels of two hormones that act as appetite suppressors, cholecystokinin and glucagons-like peptide, increased by 65 percent and 25 percent respectively in the subjects, she said. She also said she was encouraged by a new obesity drug produced by French company Sanofi Aventis, called Accomplia, also known as Rimonabant, that has been approved recently in the United Kingdom. "It blocks receptors in the brain that stimulate eating, so you don't feel hunger. This is a good agent," she said. Bruner said experts were also working to develop a vaccine against a virus called Adenovirus-36 which has been associated with weight gain. She said the social cost of obesity was staggering, with the United States spending $117 billion annually in health care in this area. "This is not to mention the loss of work and loss of productivity," she said.

I also weigh every day, mostly so I can track my water weight gain. I only take the weight I am on Saturdays as the "this is what I weigh" number. The other 6 days, I'm keeping an eye on the effects of salt on my water retention...that way, I can adjust my salt intake.

My doctor prefers 3 meals and if necessary, one small snack. Seems to work for me. I find that if I eat more often, I actually get hungrier and have the "munchies", which just leads to grazing and weight gain.

Thanks MCW -- It's not funny about being afraid to throw up, I agree, but I had to laugh about the notion thinking about Soups making you nauseous and being OK if you stick to thoughts about Jello. Where else in the world would that statement make sense?? :biggrin1: :biggrin1: It just points out that although as bandsters we all go through the same surgery, each one of us experiences this journey in our own quirky ways. As I read posts that others have made, I am continually floored by the courage bandsters have dispayed. Each of us has made the decision to undergo this very big deal because we are desperate to experience success in keeping off the weight we lose. We have persevered in our commitment to permanent weight loss in the face of doubts expressed by ourselves or others that maybe all it really does take to be successful is to eat smaller portions and exercise more. We told our "true truth" that anything we've done in the past did not work and have turned our heads to the future by deciding on this procedure. Still, that little voice that we all have scares us with all the ways we could mess this up: throwing up and stretching the stoma going crazy on the liquid/mushy stage and drinking only milkshakes or something else high fat/high calorie being the only person for whom weight gain actually occurs rather than weight loss etc. We are alone with ourselves in the recovery stage and it is all too easy to obsess with the fact that we have or will do something wrong and blow this. I know for me it has been more difficult than I expected to allow the minor discomforts of healing (like major gas or itches) not to get in the way of my deep pride in myself for taking this BIG POSITIVE step in regaining my life. I am so grateful for knowing this talk forum is available to us to share our concerns but also to take comfort in the large number of people who are experiencing success on this path and all the tickers showing the decreasing numbers. I think I'll get one today!

Thanks everyone for the avatar compliments! Here I am once again, up way too late and I have an early appointment with the boob smushing doctor . Nothing serious - just the 6 month follow up appt from the last mammogram to make sure nothing has changed. Kat, you're not a bad grandma! Who here hasn't complained about a cranky little one before realizing they're sick? It's no surprise that she wanted to come home with you. I hope she's feeling better soon. Pat, good luck with the boob consult. You're going to feel soooooo much better once you get the girls under control! I for one know that I will need a tummy tuck (since I practically kick my stomach when I walk), and I hate the idea of more surgery, but I look at it this way: a few scary minutes and a few weeks of discomfort for something that will make your whole life better. Cindy, I wish I could give you some great advise about keeping a house neat once you're a stay at home mom, but I can never seem to keep up with it myself. If the kitchen is clean and the dinner isn't pizza I feel like mother of the year. :biggrin1: And congrats on the weightloss!! Eilene, I've never heard that about rawhide. Fortunately, I don't usually buy it because my dog prefers pigs ears (and whatever he can dig out of the trash). I'll stay away from it now though! Darcy, I was just thinking today about joining WW. The weight came off a little after this last fill but now it's stabilized. I need something to motivate me to get the next 20 lbs off because I'm really feeling the weight gain in my back. Not good. Sherry, take heart - it's Friday! I hope your next week isn't quite so stressful. The only thing worse than not being able to eat is not being able to eat when the scale isn't moving for you. (((HUGS))) Mandy, any luck finding your pup? I will keep him in my prayers for a safe journey home. Dianne, I really admire your commitment to exercise. What's your secret? Wait? You mean I have to get my butt out of the chair? Hmmmmmm... Betty, Mary, Beanie, Donna, NatesMommy and anyone else that I may have forgotten - What's up? (((HUGS))) I have to head off to bed now. Have a great Friday everyone.

Christa --congrats on your wedded bliss. You will have to post some pics for us to see. The band can be trying at times. Knock, Knock, Knock on wood --I've not had any difficulty with mine. However today --I find myself with the "munchies". I've not had this since surgery and not sure what it all about. I'm certainly not "stuffing" myself with stuff because that is now pretty much impossible. Been grazing a bit today which has never been a big habit. So I'm not worried about it --it will pass. The scales haven't moved this week but last week it went down about 3 pounds. I seem to go one week with no weight loss the next with some weight loss (all at once). Heck --I'll take it however it goes. However --I've taken several weekend trips since being banded and have dined out the whole time. Each time I come back with no weight gain and once with weight loss. That's a huge NSV for me. I could never say that pre-banded. Melissa Lea

Thanks MCW -- It's not funny about being afraid to throw up, I agree, but I had to laugh about the notion thinking about soups making you nauseous and being OK if you stick to thoughts about Jello. Where else in the world would that statement make sense?? :biggrin1: :biggrin1: It just points out that although as bandsters we all go through the same surgery, each one of us experiences this journey in our own quirky ways. As I read posts that others have made, I am continually floored by the courage bandsters have dispayed. Each of us has made the decision to undergo this very big deal because we are desperate to experience success in keeping off the weight we lose. We have persevered in our commitment to permanent weight loss in the face of doubts expressed by ourselves or others that maybe all it really does take to be successful is to eat smaller portions and exercise more. We told our "true truth" that anything we've done in the past did not work and have turned our heads to the future by deciding on this procedure. Still, that little voice that we all have scares us with all the ways we could mess this up: throwing up and stretching the stoma going crazy on the liquid/mushy stage and drinking only milkshakes or something else high fat/high calorie being the only person for whom weight gain actually occurs rather than weight loss etc. We are alone with ourselves in the recovery stage and it is all too easy to obsess with the fact that we have or will do something wrong and blow this. I know for me it has been more difficult than I expected to allow the discomforts of healing (like major gas or itches) not to get in the way of my deep pride in myself for taking this BIG POSITIVE step in regaining my life. I am so grateful for knowing this talk forum is available to us to share our concerns but also to take comfort in the large number of people who are experiencing success on this path and all the tickers showing the decreasing numbers. I think I'll get one today!

Hi there, I also have the 10 cc band. My first fill was 2 cc and my second was almost 5 cc. I can tell you that an agressive fill can be the pits! I live a long way from my doc so he was trying to help with a big fill. I drank the Water but got progressively more restricted as the day went on. Thank God I was staying an extra day because I couldn't even swallow my own spit! I hightailed it back to the doc the next day and they removed 1 cc. I understand the weight gain because I gained back almost 10 lbs befoe my second fill. I was miserable! I am now quite restricted and have lost 21 lbs since June, 2006. I had another fill Sept 5/2006 (just 3/4 cc because I was afraid of a repeat) and I'm feeling great. Everyone has a different tolerance just please take it slow. Maybe you can talk to your doc about filling monthly and slightly more saline than what you are getting until you feel something. Good luck and please don't give up. It sounds like your doc is being cautious and sometimes that isn't such a bad thing. I also paid for my own surgery so I know where you're coming from. It's hard knowing you paid a lot of money and aren't seeing results. Be honest with your feelings when you talk to him and maybe you can reach a compremise. I'll be thinking of you tomorrow. Good Luck Deb

I agree with carol....I have been fat and thin and let me tell you EVERYONE is your friend when you are thin. Not only is everyone your friend but you are NOT invisible... when you are thin people make eye contact, smile at you and generally engage with you. I have noticed since gaining weight 7-8 years ago that I slowly became "The Invisible Woman"....ignored by most people from shop assistants to parents at my children's school. I have even "lost" friends over the last few years due to my weight gain. I know I have to take some responsibility for these failed friendships (due to declining invitations to go out, becomming a bit of a recluse at times because I was embarrassed or felt uncomfortable with my size) but let's face it.... it's difficult to completely participate in life when you are morbidly obese. veggestyle.....I believe that as we shed our pounds we will also shed our insecurities....and that is what will draw people to us.

Hi All, Mandy... Your daughter will be in my prayers... I hope the medication changes will help with the weight gain. She is very lucky to have such a loving and caring Mom. :eek: Dianne... So glad that Lucy has got her groove back! (((hugs))) Beanie... So glad you had a fun vacation and don't worry about the gain... that is what vacation is all about! Anne... Hope you had fun running errands and hope I follow through with the plan to workout... I feel like a big bump on a log! Kat... I bet you are going to be able to buy a sporty little t-shirt at the next rally... won't that be awesome??/!!! Patty... Hope you enjoyed your last day of freedom! You have cyber exercise buddies... right here. Eileen... Glad you are here... don't be askeered... we'll protect you from the evil hacker...even if LBT seemingly seems unconcerned. I make this assumption as there have been zero announcements about any of the ruckus. Cindy...LOL... one of these days you are going to forget to cover us up on your computer screen...lol I think the make-up thingy party would be fun... as long as I don't have to do it....hehehehehe. Allison... It sounds like you all had a great time with the party...so glad! I'm not much of a party gal... when my DD had her B-Day party with 8 young teenage girls I thought I would need a rubber room by the time they went home... OH THE DRAMA. (((hugs)))

Green I hear you about the history of depression and yet have little to feel depressed about. Interesting times we live in huh? i mean so many popel on depression meds. What is going on? Cloe do not wean yourself from Effexor it can be hell, do it as your doc tells you so you don't have a hard time of it okay? I don't know is it our weight that contibutes to or is thecause of our depression or a side effect of being depressed is the weight gain? I mean look at me now, banded, liek I am taking care of this busness and still stuffing my face, although I can't get in half of what i used to, even before the restriction, but I have messed up already so many times. I am now on pureed but sick of that so I am eating normally sort of. Anyway correlation definetly between the wirght and depression although i like the depression with the losing weight issues others have. I could've used that for a year or two. Anyway I am stil goign to try and get to the gym today bt I ahve to take my Newf sophie to the vet and I have a feeling it might be time to put her down.

Green Have you tried to switch from risperdal to geodon? it works basically the same without the weight gain. My son gained 120 lbs in less then 1 yr on risperdal we took him off of that and put him on geodon and topomax and the weight came off and he had wonderful control. Have seen terrific control with other patients as well. Just a suggestion for you and that may help you to get rid of more weight and keep your psych issues under control.